


Take a Walk on the Wild Side

by Condescendingbrit



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Work In Progress, amateur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-04 08:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13360281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Condescendingbrit/pseuds/Condescendingbrit
Summary: Betty Cooper. Jughead Jones. Sweet Pea. The continuation of their story after 2x09. Involving Overbearing mothers, stubborn fathers blind dates, Serpents and drammaaaaa. A little look into their heads.  Canon Divergence.





	1. Blind to the Possibilities

“Betty, sweetheart, I have come to a decision.” Veronica sat down in the armchair across from Betty, latte in hand.  
“Hm?” Betty snapped back into reality and looked at the raven girl smiling at her.  
“You need to go on a date.” Veronicas cheshire cat smile grew.  
“Mm,” Betty shook her head “No. Nope. I cannot deal without now.”  
Veronica sighed and looked at the ceiling “Betty, you’ve been boyfriendless for two weeks now. And those two weeks have been spent moping. It’s not healthy!”  
“I’m pretty sure what I’m experiencing right now is considered normal.” Betty argued, her brow furrowing.  
“No. Not by Veronica Lodge standards,” Veronica pleaded with Betty “Just consider it B, it doesn’t have to be anything serious, just a distraction to make you feel better.”  
Betty’s eyes widened and her mouth opened a little, her face the poster child of offence “If you think for one second, V, that I’m going to give my virginity away to some str-”  
“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, Betty.” Veronica interrupted “No one said anything about the loss of your innocence.”  
Betty visibly relaxed “Fine, who do you have in mind?”  
Veronica’s mauve lips widened in a smug smirk “The perfect candidate.” 

Betty sat at a white linen table, fiddling nervously with the cutlery as she waited for her date to arrive. She was at as small restaurant downtown, called French, the fanciest restaurant in Riverdale. She had wanted to go to Pop’s but Veronica had insisted she go to French instead.  
Betty felt quite nauseous, truth be told, and was very busy trying not to think of Jughead. She missed him, something she would never admit to anyone other than herself. She had no clue who her date was, Veronica never told her; she just made sure she wore a sleeveless black skater dress and red lipstick.  
She looked up quickly as the bell rang when the door opened. A tall boy, with black hair and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up over a white t-shirt, walked over and plonked down in the seat opposite Betty. The boy was embarrassingly underdressed for the occasion, let alone the location, and had a sullen look on his face as if he’d rather chew off his own foot than be here.  
The boy thought Betty looked amusing, her eyes were wider than the pristine white plates on the table and her jaw was open. She shut her mouth closed her eyes and blew out a shaky breath.  
“This is a joke, right?” She asked.  
“Nope.” Sweet Pea replied.  
Betty pursed her lips and looked everywhere but at the boy. Finally she made eye-contact and he could see hurt and rage in her sea-glass green eyes.  
“You’re a serpent, no? Why are you here? Forgive me, but Southside gang-members aren’t usually the kind to be seen in the nicer, more expensive sides of town. So, I repeat, Why are you here?”  
Sweet Pea shrugged, ignoring her jibe “Your rich friend told me I should be here by eight and that there would be food involved.” He gestured with a menu “I’m hungry, do you want to order?”  
Betty’s heart stopped. It hurt to breathe. The words that the serpent had just uttered reminded her so much of her ex, his love for food. Then the absurdity of the thought hit her and she started laughing, the humour chasing away the sadness.  
Sweet Pea just quirked an eyebrow and waited for her to stop guffawing.  
As her chuckles quietened to giggles, she told him “I know why Ronnie set me up with you. You remind me enough of Jug for me to be attracted to you but are simultaneously different enough so that I know you’re not him.”  
Sweet Pea scoffed “Jones and I are nothing alike.”  
“Let’s count the similarities shall we? You’re both serpents, you both have similar features; the black hair and heavy set brows, a tendency to scowl a lot, a brooding composure, a large appetite and seemingly awful fashion taste.” Betty listed.  
Sweet Pea leaned forward and his eyes flicked to her red lips “Yes, except, unlike Jones, I actually know what to do with pretty girls other than repeatedly breakup with them. Even entitled Northsiders.”  
Betty’s mind flashed back to the night in the trailer, when she and Jughead had almost had sex but were interrupted by the serpents. She remembers his hands and his lips, she remembers feeling good, more than good, but she never actually got to the point where she would have found out whether he knew what to do with girls or not.  
“There is no way in hell this is a date. Do you want to call it off?” Betty asked quietly.  
Sweet Pea picked the menu back up and scanned the steak section “Nah. I’m still hungry and your princess friend said she had everything covered, so I might as well get a free meal out of this.”  
Betty nodded and hailed a waiter. 

As they ate, Betty put her fork down and watched the serpent scarf down a very bloody steak. She felt a twinge of regret for the things she said about him earlier and felt the need to apologise.  
“Listen,” She started “I’m sorry I insulted you. This situation isn’t your fault.”  
He didn’t even look up at her “I know.”  
“Do you want to… Talk about anything?”  
He glanced at her “Don’t know what we’d talk about. We have nothing in common except for Jones.”  
Again she felt the bittersweet feeling in her chest at the mention of his name.  
“How is he?” Betty found herself asking.  
Sweet Pea gave her a funny look “He’s okay. A little more mopey than usual but other than that, same old Forsythe.”  
Betty cleared her throat “That’s good to hear.”  
“How are you holding up?” He asked, surprising the blond girl.  
“Not so good.” She admitted “That’s actually why I’m here. My friend thought I needed a distraction.”  
“Glad I could be of assistance.” He joked drily. He turned upper body to reach for his napkin and Betty saw his serpent tattoo, the two headed snake, on his neck. It sent shivers down her spine and she suddenly realised that the boy in front of her was very dangerous. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have that tattoo. Betty knew Jughead had one, on his right shoulder; she had traced it with her finger and kissed it after they made up from their last breakup.  
“Why did you decide to become a serpent?” The question slipped from Betty’s lips before she could stop it.  
Sweet Pea squinted at her and smiled a little “Ever the little journalist, aren’t you?”  
Betty blushed and shrugged.  
“My dad was a drunk. Not the happy kind, the kind that beats up their kid. I went to the serpents for help. They drove him out of town, I joined them on my fourteenth birthday and haven’t looked back since.” he said nonchalantly, as if the story meant nothing to him.  
“That sucks,” Betty responded “About your dad, I mean.”  
Sweet Pea brushed his hair from out of his eyes “Yeah, well. We don’t get to choose our parents. But we do get to choose our family. Mine are the serpents.”  
Sweet Pea’s words rang truthful to Betty Cooper, who had suffered years underneath the controlling Alice Cooper's all-seeing and watchful eye.  
“Why’d you join the serpents?” Sweet Pea inquired, his gaze locked on her eyes.  
Betty visibly cringed, she had hoped the snake dance wouldn’t be brought up. The almond eyed boy in front of her, alongside half the serpents had seen her pole dance in black lingeré. A misogynistic initiation ritual for the women of the gang, dubbed the snake dance. Betty had performed it at FP’s supposed retirement party, approximately 20 minutes before Jughead broke up with her.  
“I did it for Jug.” Betty replied in a small voice, staring at the table “Anyway, I doubt anyone sees me as an actual gang-member now.”  
“Not now,” Sweet Pea promised “But after you pick up your jacket, get the tat and run your first errand, they will.”  
Betty looked up at him “Seriously?”  
“Yeah, why not?”  
“You think they’ll accept me as one of their own? Me being an entitled Northsider and all?” She repeated his earlier words.  
“Of course. And I doubt your life is picture perfect.” He examined her for a minute, looking beyond her eyes, as if he could see her very soul. Twisted and scarred as it was “There’s more to you than meets the eye, Betty Cooper.”  
Betty attempted to change the subject “Can you imagine me in a leather jacket?” she grinned, not taking the idea seriously “Riding a motorcycle, the wind blowing dramatically through my hair?”  
“Yes,” Sweet Pea replied bluntly “It’d be hot.”  
“Your real name isn’t Sweet Pea.” Betty changed the subject again.  
“Astute. Obviously, it’s a nickname. One which you will be needing unless you want to known as Betty the Boa.” He broke into a grin “How about; Jughead’s Burden.”  
“Haha.” Betty said flatly but began considering the possibility “I guess I’ll at least be able to keep an eye on him, this way. Make sure he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble.”  
“Ha. As if you’ll have enough free time to make eyes at your ex.” Sweet Pea countered.  
“I won’t be making eyes at him, I won’t even talk to him unless it’s necessary. I just want… I just need to know he’ll be okay.”  
“Of course he will,” he stated “No serpent stands alone.”  
“Can I see your tattoo?” Betty asked.  
Sweet Pea turned his head to the right and bared his neck. Betty moved to the seat next to him so she could better examine the tattoo. The two-headed snake a symbol of danger but also loyalty and compassion.  
She brushed her finger against the ink “Did it hurt?”  
“Nah,” Sweet Pea turned to face Betty, the two close enough to share a breath “I was drunk as shit.”  
Betty nodded and swallowed. A humorous glint entered Sweet Peas eyes.  
“Will your tattoo be a tramp-stamp?” He queried “There are a few women who’ve done that.”  
“Um.” Betty responded and scooched her chair back a bit “No, in a word. Where does Toni have hers?”  
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Or more accurately, Toni would have to kill you.” He winked and Betty blinked startled. Sweet Pea, the everbrooding serpent, winked at her. Tonight was like an episode from the Twilight Zone.  
“Finish your steak, big guy. It’s getting late.” She informed him.  
“Yes.” he said “We mustn’t miss your curfew and risk the wrath of Alice Cooper.”  
“Exactly.” Betty didn’t bother with a witty response.  
Sweet Pea sighed and resumed his attack on the lump of meat in front of him. 

After they had finished their meals, Sweet Pea and Betty exited the restaurant and entered the cold night air. They walked down the street for a while without speaking before Betty stopped and turned to face the tall boy.  
“This is where we part ways,” she told him “Thanks for tonight, it was… interesting.”  
“That it was,” he agreed.  
The two just looked at each other before Sweet Pea dipped down and caught Betty’s red bottom lip between his own. The kiss was sweet but brief and before she knew it, he was walking away from her.  
“I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you, Betty Cooper.” he called out, without looking back at her.  
“Count on it.” Betty whispered to herself before walking in the opposite direction, homeward. Betty knew that probably nothing would come from the kiss but it made her feel better, it took her mind off of her broken heart and made her realise, this was not the end of Betty Cooper’s adventures, not by a long shot.


	2. The Dragon's Lair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty, Betty, Betty. In the den of snakes. Taking matters into her own hands.

Her heart was was pounding and her hands were sweaty. She rubbed her palms against her jeans as she approached the Whyte Wyrm. She felt out of her depth, I mean, who was she fooling? She was Betty Cooper, for Christ’s sake. The girl with the pearly white smile whose homework always came in on time. No, she told herself, you’re the Betty Cooper that brought down Clifford Blossom, the Candyman and the Black Hood; you can do this. She had donned a black T-shirt over her jeans, and left her hair down, in hopes that it would help her fit in a little more. She wasn’t ready to go full darkside yet. The bar wasn’t that busy but as Betty entered, all eyes fell on her. She did her best to ignore them. There was some tinny rock music playing faintly, and the bar smelled of beer and smoke. It was warm in there but Betty still felt goosebumps rise on her skin as she scanned the bar for a figure of authority.   
She spotted the long, greasy haired serpent she recognised as Tall Boy sitting on a stool, leaning over the counter and talking to bartender. She walked over to him and sat on the seat next to him. Then she looked at him and waited for him to finish his conversation with the barkeep. Finally he turned around and faced her.   
“Well, well. What have we got here?” He asked “What do you want, blondie?”   
“I’m here to pick up my jacket.” she said.   
He picked up his glass and gulped the rest of the contents.  
“Why would you be getting a serpent jacket now?” he prompted.  
Betty was at a loss for words, he knew she had undergone initiation, practically everyone knew.   
“Because I’ve earned it.” she said, clench jawed.  
His raised his eyebrows “oh, you’ve earned it, have you? What, by pole-dancing at a party? Though that was very nice of you, it takes more than that to be a serpent.”   
“What does it take?”   
Tall Boy sighed “A friendly piece of advice; give up and go home. This isn’t the life you want, you actually have a future. Stop before it’s too late.”  
Betty didn’t even blink “It’s too late. I want this.”  
He brought his face close to hers and growled “No. You really don’t, princess.”   
She did her best not to move away and replied “Let me prove it to you.”   
He scoffed and sat back up “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”   
“I’m not a quitter.” She shot back.   
“Go home, girly.” He hailed for another drink.   
“I’ll be seeing you, Tall Boy.” She got off the stool and walked towards the door. 

An entity entered through the door as she was approaching it. Her heart stopped as she thought it was Jughead but she realised it was Sweet Pea. He looked shocked by the sight of her.   
“Hey.” She smiled and walked past him to exit, he turned around and followed her.   
“What are you doing here?” he asked once they were outside.   
“You’re surprised?” Betty leaned against the flaking wall of the Whyte Wyrm’s rotting side “I came because of what you said. So technically, you’re the reason I’m here.”  
He looked exasperated “I didn’t think you’d go by yourself!”   
Anger bubbled in Betty’s chest “What was I supposed to do then? Wait for you to magically contact me somehow and organise a playdate?”  
“I- You- Uh!” he sighed as he attempted to express something but failed “Give me your phone!”   
Betty unlocked her phone and handed it to the serpent, many others wouldn’t have, they probably thought he would have snatched it and bolted. Sweet Pea typed in a few digits and handed it back.   
“There,” he explained “You’ve got my number now. Next time you want to enter the dragon’s lair, call me first.”   
Betty tilted her head and smirked at him “My knight in shining armour.”   
He rolled his eyes.   
After a moment of silence, Sweet Pea slumped against the wall next to Betty “What happened in there?”  
“I talked to Tall Boy, who doesn’t think I have earned the right, or even really want, to be a serpent.”   
“Eh, don’t worry. We’ll wear him down eventually. He’ll get used to you as a serpent once you start showing up more often and actually contributing to the… community.”   
Betty looked at the boy, analysing him. His skin was smooth olive, which had probably been bruised plenty of times. His hazel eyes, squinted when he focused or smiled, an endearing habit. He had a hard shell, an untrusting nature which few could get past. Betty felt as if she was making progress with him, though not too much. She wondered why he was helping her. So she decided to ask.   
“Sweet Pea… why are you helping me join the serpents?”  
He looked at his bike, as if he wanted to jump on and run away from her question, his responsibilities; everything.  
He took a minute or two to think “I don’t know,” he said evenly “I think it might be… because you remind me of myself.”   
“In what way?”   
“I don’t know,” he shrugged “You just do.”   
“Is that a good thing?”   
He didn’t even bother replying with a joke, he simply said “I hope so.”  
Though it was late December, there was no snow on the ground, but there was a dampness to their surroundings, like it had just been raining. The wind was frigid and unforgiving to those who had not dressed appropriately, in this case, Betty. She had left her coat at home, thinking that she would not need it once the serpents gave her an own leather jacket. She cringed at her earlier arrogance in simply believing they would just hand one over. Tall Boy was right, aside from strip-dancing, she hadn’t done anything to earn one yet.   
Betty shuddered as a stronger gust of wind blew past.   
“It’s cold out. Do you want to go back inside?” Sweet Pea asked.   
“No. No, it would be awkward. And I kind of want to avoid Tall Boy until absolutely necessary.”   
Sweet Pea looked at her and shook his head lightly as she rubbed her upper arms to make them warm.   
“You really gonna make me do this?” he asked.  
“Do what?”   
He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her.   
Betty took a step back “No, I’m fine. Put it back on.”   
He grimaced and gestured for her to take it.  
“I can’t take your jacket from you, it’s not fair.”  
Sweet Pea grinned and said jokingly “Oh yeah? Well, life’s not fair, sweetheart, get used to it.”   
She frowned but took the jacket and slipped it on, it was several sizes too big and still clung to Sweet Peas body heat. Sweet Pea was wearing, once again, an unbuttoned shirt on top of a t-shirt but he had rolled the sleeves down this time. He acted as if he wasn’t cold but Betty knew he was.   
“Thank you.” She said quietly and he nodded.  
“Why did you come here today?” She asked him.   
“I’m actually a recognised serpent, so I can come and go to the Wyrm as I please.” He said.   
“Yeah, I know,” Betty replied, annoyed by his response “I mean like, did you have business, or a task, or a mission, or anything to do?”   
His eyebrows raised “A mission. That’s fancy.”  
“Come on.”   
“Yeah, yeah, I get you. I didn’t actually have anything that specifically needed doing, I just came in to see if there was anything I could help with.”   
“Okay.”   
“What, did you think I came over to report that I had completed my assignment to assassinate Mayor McCoy or something like that?” he said sarcastically.   
A twinkle entered Bettys eyes “Oh, definitely,” she leaned towards him “Didn’t you know? All we entitled Northsiders think you Southsiders are all stone cold killers.”   
“Sounds about right.” His gaze flicked to her smirking lips and his mouth parted a little.   
Betty was instantly reminded of their kiss after their blind date, it had been sweet and skilful, though short. Just thinking about it ignited a peculiar feeling in her abdomen, which spread throughout her body. She realised, she wouldn’t actually mind if he kissed her again. Sure, she didn’t know much about this mysterious boy but he seemed good at heart, he was helping her become part of the serpents and he took her mind off Jughead. As soon as the last thought hit her, the inner flames she had been feeling extinguished, as if someone poured a large bucket of cold truth over her head. She looked away and felt like crying.   
“You alright?” Sweet Pea asked gently.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Betty replied quickly, letting autopilot take over with the necessary polite responses. In other words, she lied.   
“You don’t look fine.” he replied, calling her out. She would die if he knew what she had been thinking literally 30 seconds ago. “You know it’s okay to not always be happy? Do you want to talk?”   
“No,“ she sniffed “thanks, though.”  
Both of them stood there for a while, neither speaking. None of them had anything to say. Betty leaned her head against Sweet Peas shoulder, she felt him tense up at the contact at first but then relax into it. It felt like friendship.   
Just as Betty started to regain her composure, things were about to get much worse because from around the corner, came FP & Jughead Jones.


	3. Past and Future Grievances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter in Juggie's pov, he begins to find out about certain plots and he is not pleased. Not sure if I'm going to alternate between Bettys pov and Jugheads or if I should throw a little Sweet Pea in there too. Let me know what you think!

Jughead was trying his best to fix things with his father but, at times, it felt like his FP was fighting him. They hadn’t spoken about serpent business since the Penny Peabody incident and were pretending as if they were a happy, if broken, family. Today was the day that business returned and the pretense was over. They had rode to the Wyrm on their bikes, leather jackets on and hair windblown.   
“Catch you inside,” FP had said and had left to go inside, leaving Jughead by his bike.   
Jughead stood for a minute by himself, wondering when the exact moment his life had started to go downhill had been. Was it when his father was arrested? When he moved to the Southside? Was it determined before his birth, when his father decided to become a serpent? One part of him was happy, he had found a family; the serpents, and a purpose to his life. The other side, though he would never admit it, missed Riverdale High, Archie and Veronica, working on his novel late at night at Pop’s. Mostly he missed Betty Cooper. No, he told himself, you’re not allowed to miss her. You broke up with her because it wasn’t safe to be with her, if you miss her, she’s still in danger.   
He started walking towards the Wyrm’s entrance but stopped in his tracks as he saw Sweet Pea with a blond girl leaning against the wall next to the door. Betty. He had been thinking of her and somehow, here she was. They hadn’t spoken since the Black Hood had been caught and Betty and Archie called him to meet at Pop’s. He felt guilty about not contacting her, she had gone toe to toe with a serial killer, and he had been avoiding her. Did she come here looking for him? She was looking at Sweet Pea with sadness in her eyes but with a small smile playing on her lips. He could see right through it. Anger built up in his chest and he clenched his jaw, had Sweet Pea said something to upset her? He took a step forward but stopped as he saw what Betty was wearing. An oversized leather jacket with a green serpent on the back. She was wearing Sweet Peas jacket. It felt like someone had punched Jughead in the gut.   
“Betty,” he said “What are you doing here?”  
Bettys gaze snapped towards him and her eyes widened. Sweet Pea turned around and crossed his arms.   
“I… came here looking for Veronica’s earring. She dropped one the night of the retirement party, I was just checking with Sweet Pea if they had found it.” she said tensely.   
“Why didn’t Ronnie just come here herself?” Jughead found himself asking, he could tell she was lying and he wanted to call her out on it. Why was she lying to him? It only added to the hurt building in his heart.   
“Bad memories. She thinks the bar gives her bad karma. You know, what happened between her and Archie and all...” Betty continued.   
He nodded, going along with her story. He supposed he wanted to believe it “Uh, thank you for the typewriter, by the way… It’s beautiful.”   
A blush grew on her cheeks and she smiled “Good, I’m glad, Juggie. Thank you for the book.”   
He dipped his head and shoved his hands down his pockets.   
Sweet Pea cleared his throat, as to remind them both he was still there. Jughead wanted nothing more than to slap the smarmy git whose jacket was wrapped around his girls shoulders. No, he thought, not your girl anymore.   
“Well, I have to go now,” Betty announced and hastily removed the jacket, murmuring thanks and pressing it into Sweet Peas chest before walking off.  
When she was out of hearing range he turned to Sweet Pea “The hell was she doing here, Sweet Pea? It’s not safe!”   
He shrugged, a vicious look in his eye “She told you already, man. And I think a girl like Betty can handle herself.”   
He put the jacket on and sniffed the material a little before smirking. As he began walking away, Jughead put a hand on his shoulder and yanked him back.  
“Stay away from her, Sweet Pea. I’m warning you.” he growled.   
Sweet Pea jerked his shoulder out of Jugheads grip “She’s not your girlfriend anymore, Jones. You’re the one who split with her.”   
With that final damning statement, the serpent boys entered the bar in sullen silence.  
FP was sitting at a table, in a room adjacent to the actual bar room, with Tall Boy and a couple other men of significant authority. They were talking in hushed voices and stopped all together when Jughead walked in.   
FP spoke up “Well, well, the very man we need.”   
Jughead grabbed a chair, dragged it to the table and sat down “How can I help?”  
“Where is Penny Peabody, Jughead?” Tall Boy asked.   
The name made him freeze. Penny Peabody, the snake charmer, had been blackmailing his father to run drug deals for her. He finally dealt with her, dumping her in Greendale forest, never to return to the Southside, and stripping her of both her tattoo and title of a serpent. Her screams of agony rang through his head at night and he could feel her slippery blood coating his fingers, so dark in the night, he mistook it for ink. But Jughead did not regret his actions. He would do it again if necessary, anything to protect his father.   
In answer to Tall Boys question, Jughead shrugged.   
“Boy, you better tell us,” FP growled “I know you know. You told me yourself you drove her out of Riverdale. And got yourself a pound of flesh while you were at it.”   
Jughead wished he had never opened his mouth when it came to what had gone down with Penny. His words had come back to bite him in the ass.   
“Look, I don’t know where she went, alright? We just told her to leave and I, for one, am glad she’s gone. She was nothing but trouble for us. Why do you even need to know where she is?” He snapped.   
FP rested his forehead against his hand, staring down at the table “Fangs Fogarty is in jail. Serious stuff. We need Penny to represent him.”   
Sweet Pea stepped closer to the table “What? Why? What happened?”   
Jughead stiffened, Sweet Pea and Fangs were old pals, maybe even good enough friends for him to reveal what they had done to Penny. After what Jughead had done to her, there was no way in hell she would help the serpents, unless for an impossibly high price, and even then there was a slim chance she wouldn’t damn them in the process.   
Tall Boy explained “Some Northsider psycho-boy named Dilton Doiley pulled a gun on him at a weed deal gone awry. In the wrestle for the gun, it went off, shot Dilton in the shoulder and the sheriff blamed our boy Fangs.”   
Jughead thought about his response, hearing Sweat Pea murmur ‘shit’ behind him.   
“We saw her last in Greendale,” he conceded quietly “She might be hesitant to help you but, by all means, try to convince her.”   
“Send out scouts, see if we can find some info on where she went.” he ordered a standby before turning back to face Jughead. FP narrowed his eyes at his son “What did you do to her?”   
Jughead met his father's gaze but said nothing.   
Tall Boy slapped the table “Goddamit, Jughead! I swear, this generation doesn’t know what’s good for them! You, Toni, that girl...”  
The last fragment of his outburst came out as a sigh but caught Jughead’s attention all the same.   
“What girl?” he asked, then it hit him “Betty? Do you mean Betty?”   
The greasy-haired giant gave him a withering look “She blond?”  
Jughead nodded.   
“Then yes. Betty.”  
“Did you talk to her? Why?”  
“Silly girl’s got it through her head she wants to become a serpent.”   
The fist of panic seized his heart and clenched. There was no way he would let Betty ever become a serpent. No. Over his dead body.   
What really angered Jughead was that Sweet Pea was probably behind all this. He had known why Betty was here and had lied to his face.   
He walked over to the bar where Sweet Pea sat.   
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” he asked.   
Sweet Pea didn’t even look at him “Not my secret to tell.”   
“I have never wanted to punch you so much before. Not even after I ran the gauntlet.”   
“Try me, Jones.”   
“She’s not becoming a serpent, Sweet Pea. I will not allow it.”   
Sweet Pea turned to face him “It’s not your choice. It’s nobody’s but her’s.”   
“Why are you doing this? What are gaining from this?”  
“Other than seeing you in such extraordinary discomfort,” Sweet Pea smirked slightly but then returned his composure to being serious “I think she’d be good for us.”   
“This life will destroy her, Sweet Pea. She’s too close to the edge right now, this will be the final push.”   
“No it won’t,” Sweet Pea informed him “She’s much stronger than you give her credit for, Forsythe. Before you gave her up, you should have actually tried to get to know her better.”


	4. Deep Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am a bughead canon shipper. But when it comes to fanfic... I like to have fun with Sweet Pea and Betty. This chapter includes confrontations with Veronica, Jughead, Alice Cooper and even something inside Betty. Enjoyyyyy.

Betty found that she had been leaving her hair down more often than usual. She came to this conclusion as she was walking to Veronica’s house for a girl’s night in. She needed to get the events of the last few days of her chest and wanted to see how her best friend interpret them. She entered the Pembrooke, allowing the butler to take her coat, and went straight to Ronnie’s room.   
“Hey, girl,” she said, sprawled out on her stomach on the bed, watching the end scenes of Legally Blonde.   
“Hey, V.” Betty replied and plonked herself down on the edge of the bed.   
Veronica rolled over and sat up “What’s up. You look tense.”   
Betty smiled at her friends uncanny sense of situational awareness.   
“You remember the guy you set me up with? Sweet Pea?”   
Veronica gasped “Yes! I totally forgot, how did the date go?”   
“It went well,” Betty continued “He’s helping me join the serpents.”  
“Oh.” was the only response her friend could muster.   
Betty cringed as she heard Veronica take a deep breath through her nose as she did when she was about to go on a rant.  
But to her surprise, all Veronica said was “Is it really safe for you to be doing this?”   
“I don’t know,“ she replied “I just know that I want to do this.”   
“Okay,” Veronica smiled thinly “I really don’t like this and I think it’s a bad idea, but I will attempt to make peace with it, as it is what you want.”   
“Thank you, V,” Betty said, relieved she hadn’t put up a fight “That’s really supportive of you. And I’m going to be needing support when Archie, Jughead and my mom find out.”  
“Alice can’t really stop you going down that path, she went down it herself!”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Betty replied “It’s still going to be difficult though.”  
“I’m here for you, B.” Veronica offered a reassuring smile “ But… Why is Sweet Pea helping you join the serpents? He practically hates everyone and anyone from the Northside. Him and his gang attacked the football team! He’s not exactly safe-”   
“Veronica, you set me up with him, remember?” The blonde reminded her “Besides, didn’t you say Archie threatened him with a gun first?”   
The girl from New York considered this for a moment “Yeah, okay, that doesn’t answer my question, though!”   
“He told me…” Betty said “He told me he was helping me because I reminded him of himself, somehow.”   
“You and the brooding giant? Please, how?” Veronica scoffed, not unkindly.  
“I don’t know. He doesn’t know either, it’s just a feeling he has, apparently.”   
“Could that feeling be called a hard-on?” Veronica smirked “Cuz that boy definitely has one for you.”   
“He does not,” Betty protested “Anyway, I’m not ready for that. I’m still not over Jug.”  
“The best way to get over someone,” Ronnie winked “Is to get under someone.”   
“I don’t function like that, Veronica.”   
“I know, I know. But just try to open up to this Sweet Pea boy. He’s helping you perform naughty and dangerous deeds, so there must be some chemistry between you two.”   
“No. I don’t think so.”   
“Well, I do.”  
The debate was interrupted by Betty’s ringtone. She had changed it since the calls from the Black-Hood but still, the sudden noise erupting from her smartphone caused panic to well inside her chest. She forced herself to calm down and reminded herself that the Black-Hood, Joseph Svensson, was dead. Lifting the phone, she read the caller ID.   
“It’s Jughead!” she told Veronica.   
“Put him on speaker!” her friend replied “I’ll be quiet!”   
Betty answered and clicked the speaker button “Jughead? Hi.”   
“Betty,” his voice spoke loudly and tinnily out into the room “Do you remember when you at the wyrm yesterday? Looking for Veronica’s earring?”  
Ronnie quirked her eyebrow at the statement and Betty smiled while responding “Yeah, why? Did you find it?”   
“No,” Jughead continued “I didn’t find it because she didn’t lose it.”   
Betty’s smile faltered and her heart sank to her stomach.  
“Betty, I know why you were at the bar. You’re seriously trying to become a serpent? That’s a stupid, stupid, idea! It’s dangerous, Betty, it’s not some after-school club or project of yours.”   
“I’m not naive, Jughead,” Betty replied in a cold tone “I know what the serpents are. And technically, I’ve already undergone initiation, remember?”   
“That… doesn’t make you a serpent,” Jughead changed tactics “Why are you doing this, Betty? Is it because of our fight?”  
“It’s not because of you, Jughead! It’s because someone thinks I could make a difference in the serpents!” Betty raised her voice “It’s because I’m sick and tired of keeping up this charade that I’m the perfect barbie doll, pink and plastic and always happy because I’m living the perfect life with the perfect family, right?! Wrong! I thought you understood that about me! I’m a real person, with real issues, and the serpents consist of real people with real issues who might just understand me for once!”   
“Betty! This is not a smart solution, in fact it’s most likely going to add to your problems. And you’re right, the serpents are real people, real people who interact with other dangerous people. The ghoulies have no honour code and I don’t want you around them!”   
“Jughead,” Betty said in a level voice “You need to realise that nothing you say is going to change my mind. It’s too late. Sorry.”   
“No, Betty, no. Please, I’m begging you, please just stop and th-” Betty ended the call.   
“Well,” Veronica spoke quietly “That was intense.”   
“Yeah.” Betty agreed tiredly, ignoring her buzzing phone, Jughead was calling her back.   
“Initiation? What initiation?”   
“After you and Archie left the retirement party, I strip-danced on stage.”  
Veronica was once again speechless.  
“What?” she screeched after a while “You did what?”  
“Ronnie, it’s not that big of a deal,”  
“YES IT IS.” her friend replied “You’re not exactly a raging party-animal, so yes, Betty, this is a big deal.”  
Betty, too tired for a fight, kept quiet while Veronica murmured a series of exclamations.   
“Was that the initiation?” Veronica scrunched her nose “Ugh. Let me guess, it’s only for the women. Misogynistic pricks… You’ll have to do something about that when you officially join the serpents, B.”   
“Yeah,” she found herself agreeing “I will.”   
“I still can’t believe you stripped! What were you wearing?” 

Betty got home at eleven. She had spent the night with Veronica; girl time. Watching movies, eating complete trash, makeovers, talking about Veronica and Archie patching things up between them. Betty remembered kissing Archie but pushed the thought away, ashamed of herself. It was stupid, nothing would come from it. Betty just hoped it wouldn’t make things awkward between her and Archie. She would never tell Ronnie.   
As soon as Betty got home, she went straight to her room and flopped down on the bed. While laying there, she studied her bedroom, with its pink walls, cream vanities and childish decorations. Alice had designed the room for a child, as though it would somehow trap Betty in her younger self, never to age. Betty decided she hated it. None of it represented who she was, just who others thought or wanted her to be.   
There was a sprinkling of things across the room that Betty had put. The posters on the wall next to her bed, the small statue of a horse on her vanity, a photo of Polly and her tucked in between the wood panel and the mirror. The black hood hidden at the back of her closet.   
The thought of what terrible power the mask held made Betty shiver but an odd calmness fell over her as well.   
She did not know why she saved the mask. It was as if it had called out to her and it felt wrong to let it burn. She had put the mask on a while ago, and it was as if she had been possessed; she had walked oh so quietly over to the bathroom and poured her conscription pills into her hand. Then she picked a single pill up and swallowed it, she repeated this four more times before gaining the power to toss the pills into the toilet and flush them away. She then stared at her reflection in the mirror for a solid minute before pulling the mask off and cursing herself as she tiptoed back to her bedroom. Luckily, she hadn’t taken enough pills to cause any harm but she didn’t know how she explain the missing pills to her mother.   
The presence of the mask drew Betty to it, making her feel as if she were suffocating. She needed to get out, out of her room, out of her house. She pulled open her window and quickly climbed down the ladder that Juggie had placed there when they still dated.   
Somehow, she had taken her phone out and dialled a number.  
“Hello?” the voice on the other end of the call asked.  
“Sweet Pea,” Betty breathed “I need you.”  
“Betty.” he said, surprised “What’s up? You okay?”  
“Yeah,” she automatically responded “No. Can you pick me up? I just… need to get away from home.”   
“Yeah, no, sure.” he replied “Text me the address, I’ll be there.”   
Fifteen long minutes later, a black motorcycle rumbled along her street. Betty launched herself from where she had been sitting on the curb and ran over to the bike, getting on and whispering ‘drive, drive, drive,’. 

Sweet Pea took her to an abandoned playground outside of Fox forest, the ground scattered with joint butts and needles.   
“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?” he asked her when she clambered off.   
“Yeah,” she said “But you’re going to think I’m crazy.”   
“Try me.”   
Betty sat down on a wet and cold metal bench, not willing to look at Sweet Pea when she told her story.   
“A couple months ago, this creep at our school, Chuck Clayton, posted a picture on insta saying my best friend Veronica-”  
“Princess girl.”  
“Yeah, her. He said she had blown him, when she hadn’t. Anyway, it trashed Ronnies reputation and to fix it, we wanted to get some footage of Chuck confessing, the more humiliating the situation the better. So.. Ronnie and I… handcuffed him in a jacuzzi, set the water up high and poured maple syrup on his head.”   
Sweet Pea looked at her and smirked “Dude must have really deserved it if he got Betty Cooper to cuff him to a Jacuzzi.” he paused “That almost sounds kinky. On second thought, you can cuff me to a ‘cuzzi anytime you like, sweetheart,” ”   
“This is serious, Sweet Pea! It gets worse. I, I-” she continued “I almost drowned him. I held his head under water and had no intention of letting go until Veronica pulled me away.”  
“It’s like I have this darkness inside of me and sometimes it just takes over.”  
Sweet Pea’s smile had faded away and he was looking at her intently.  
“You know about the black hood.” Betty stated.  
Sweet Pea nodded.  
“He used to call me and make me do things, or else he said he would kill my sister. He made me split with Ronnie and breakup with Jug. He made me visit the house his family was murdered in and put on a black hood.”  
“After they caught him, I burned most of the clues which had led to his capture, but I kept the mask. I don’t know why, I sometimes put it on and it’s almost as if I’m possessed. I do things that I would never do otherwise. It’s like it’s unlocking this deep, secret, twisted part of me that I don’t even know about.”   
“Anyway, I just had to get out of the house, I could feel the darkness rising up and I don’t want to let it take over.”  
A tear had formed and was running down Betty’s cheek. Even in the dark, Sweet Pea could make out Betty’s face and her glistening eyes.  
He brushed the tear away with a calloused thumb, and lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eye “Betty Cooper. I know that I don’t know you all that well. All I know about you is what Jug’s told us and what I’ve seen from the fews days we’ve hung out. But from what I’ve gathered, you are a strong, warrior of a woman.” he smiled.   
“This darkness you’re afraid of? It should be afraid of you; you might look innocent, Cooper, but you are a total badass. I don’t think you’d ever truly lose yourself, not to anything, not ever.”  
Betty chuckled wateryly at his confidence.   
“And as for the fact that I don’t know you that well,” He moved closer “I would very much like to get to know you better.”  
His lips pressed against hers and his hand cupped her cheek. Betty found herself responding to his touch, the heat igniting in her abdomen once more and spreading to every inch of her being. He deepened the kiss and she pressed herself closer to him, his hand left her cheek and roamed down to her waist. The other buried itself in her hair and she climbed onto his lap and straddled him. His lips left hers and started pressing soft kisses on her neck and jaw. Betty sighed at the bliss Sweet Pea was inflicting upon her body and guided his hand lower and lower down her back-   
Betty’s ringtone burst out, startling them both.  
“Shit.” said Betty and clambered off Sweet Pea’s lap.   
“Hello?” she answered the phone.  
“Elizabeth Cooper!” Her mother’s angry voice cracked like a whip “I would expect this kind of behaviour from Polly but not you! Where are you? Who are you with? Is it Jughead?! I will not hesitate to call FP- come home this instance!”   
Betty winced “Mom, I’m sorry. I’m not with Jughead, we broke up, remember? I’m… I’m alone. I just needed some fresh air. I’ll come home soon.”  
“Not soon. Now, Elizabeth! I will ground you, don’t test my patience!”   
“Okay, okay, I’m coming home, I’m sorry, bye.” Betty hung up.  
Sweet pea raised an eyebrow “Wow. Alice really has you on a tight leash, doesn’t she?”  
“Tell me about it. Can you drive me back?”   
Sweet Pea nodded and got up and followed her over to the bike.

About a block away from her house, Betty asked Sweet Pea to drop her off.  
“I’m not ready for her to find out about the whole joining the serpents thing... “ She explained to Sweet Pea.   
“Do I look like I’ve been crying?” She asked, smoothing her clothes and pushing her hair behind her ears, in order to make herself look more presentable so that Alice wouldn’t suspect what had happened.   
Sweet Pea frowned “Come closer,” he said.  
She leaned forward and Sweet Pea caught her face with his hands and placed another crushing kiss on her lips.  
Betty laughed and kissed him back before pulling away.   
Sweet Pea grinned and winked at her “You look amazing. You should have passionate make-out sessions more often. Preferably with me.”   
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she smiled and started walking home.   
She saw that Sweet Pea waited until she was outside her house before driving away.  
Betty sat through her scolding from Alice and raced upstairs as soon as it was over. She sat down on the edge of her bed and smiled at the nights events. She really liked Sweet Pea, she thought to herself, something about him drew her to him.   
It wasn’t until later when Betty was in between the state of consciousness and sleep that she realised she hadn’t thought of Jughead once during her tryst with Sweet Pea. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I should return to the canon plot of 2x10 or continue on with my own storyline. I like the 2x10 concept so I'm leaning more towards that side. I would like to see how Sweet Pea, Betty and Juggie interact now that they all go to the same school. Let me know what you think.


	5. Southside shutdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's official, this is a Sweet B fanfic, sorry Bughead shippers (I'm all for Bughead being canon in the show but in this fanfic, I just gotta make it Sweet B). Sweet Pea and Betty interacting at Riverdale high, Jughead to be involved in the next chapter. SMUT, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SMUT; YOU HAVE BEEN WARned. Enjoyyy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my fave chapter, I feel like the writing isn't as good and I'm not really staying true to the characters personalities, but hey, I tried. Tell me what you think and also how you think Jughead will react if and when he finds out about Betty and Sweet Pea.

A few days had passed and Sweet Pea had returned to school. Fangs had gotten out of the joint, Jughead had gotten some dirt on Doiley and blackmailed him into not pressing charges; something about the psycho selling Jug’s redhead idiot of a friend a gun. Jug did it mostly to save his own skin though, he wanted Penny out of the picture for good. Still, Sweet Pea wasn’t complaining, it was good to have Fogarty free and he wasn’t exactly Penny’s biggest fan either.   
In a chemistry lesson where the teacher had put on some shitty quality documentary, and literally fallen asleep, he thought to himself, God what a shithole this school is. His mind drifted to a certain blond with a sneaky smile which made his heart race and his blood pump. Betty. He really wished her cell hadn’t interrupted their makeout session. God, just thinking about her soft lips and small sighs made him more hormonal than a jackrabbit. He hadn’t spoken to her since he dropped her off, I mean, sure he had texted but it wasn't the same. He missed her face. The thought made him pause, he had never felt this way about a girl before. Their plans to incorporate her into the serpents had come to a standstill, school had gotten in the way and there were no pressing matters for the serpents to deal with anyway. 

Fangs rolled up a wad of paper and tried to shoot it into the sleeping substitutes open mouth. He missed and it bounced off of the teachers bulbous nose but he didn’t wake up. Sweet Pea snickered, the poor dude must have been hungover as shit. He understood, it was hard enough for him to show up to Southside High completely sober.   
The PA system crackled and startled the teacher awake. No one had used the system for years, the last people having been a couple stoners pulling a practical joke.   
“Good morning students, this is Sheriff Keller. I have an urgent announcement. The school is being shut down; after a routine checkup, a meth lab has been discovered in the basement and due to the fumes, the school has been deemed uninhabitable. The building will be quarantined, Southside high is being shut down, all students must be transferred to other schools in the district. Effective immediately.”  
Sweet Pea looked at Fangs, who had an expression of gleeful shock on his face. The news had initially surprised Sweet Pea (When the hell did Southside High have a ‘routine’ checkup?) but after realising that it was his ticket out of this dump, hope grew in his chest. He was getting out.  
Fangs and Sweet Pea burst out into the hallway, whooping and jumping. They practically raced out the front door, determined not to spend another minute in the dump of a high school.   
Jughead and Toni were sitting on the steps outside the door, completely ignorant of the major announcement that had just taken place.   
“What’s going on?” Jughead asked and stood up.  
“This Hell-hole is officially closed.”Sweet Pea replied “We’re done. No more Southside High!”   
“What? How?!” Toni asked, incredulously.   
“They say it’s dangerous, it’s gonna be quarantined,” Sweet Pea explained, not understanding why his fellow serpents weren’t besides themselves with glee at the chance of escape “Who cares? We’re all going to different schools.”   
“This…” Jughead began “This doesn’t make any sense. Where are you guys going?”  
A grin grew on Sweet Peas face “Same as you,” he told Jug.  
“And you,” he looked at Toni.  
“And Fangs,” He hit him playfully in the chest “We’re going to Riverdale High.”   
Jughead and Toni were speechless.   
“Think of all those Northside heads to knock!” he joked and threw a fake punch at Fangs who played along and dodged. 

Sweet Pea had spent the day celebrating. This might have been the best thing that had ever happened to him. Going to a better school could potentially buy him a better future. In fact, he was so caught up in that happy bubble, he had forgotten that Riverdale High was already home to a certain Elizabeth Cooper. When he realised this, it only added to his euphoria. The thought of seeing her every day, for however long, thrilled him. On the other hand, though, Jughead was transferring back as well. He actually had friends in Riverdale High and would integrate himself back into the system seamlessly. And he would be around Betty. Sweet Pea had conflicting emotions when it came to Jughead; first of all, he considered him a complete idiot for dumping a girl like Betty, but secondly, he felt a bit guilty for going behind his back and making out with his ex. Still, he knew Betty wasn’t 100% over him and Sweet Pea didn’t want him to… steal his girl? Was Betty his girl? They had made out once but that didn’t make them an item. Sweet Pea wanted more, not just physically, he wanted to get to know Betty Cooper. He just wasn’t sure if she would want to get to know him if Jughead was in the picture. But he sure as hell hoped she would.

The first week at Riverdale High was tense, but the rivalry between the Bulldogs and Serpents had ended with the vipers laying low. Sweet Pea didn’t care, he maintained that getting a better education, a chance to be something in life, was more important than wearing his jacket and showing his tat. This place was fucking palace compared to Southside High. Jughead and Fangs were obnoxiously stubborn and refused to stop wearing their leathers so they got suspended. When Jug came back, the smartass created an undercover serpent hangout, presented to any outsiders as a gaming club.   
Sweet Pea got out of English Lit. class late when he saw Betty by her locker. The hallway was empty except for her, it was the end of the day and all the students had either gone to get ready for their extra-curricular activities or just gone home. Betty seemed to have been avoiding him lately, she never looked him in the eye in the hallways and had only ever said ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’ to him. He began to walk over to her, she looked up at him and her eyes widened. It looked as if she was starting to hurry up to try and escape from talking to him, so Sweet Pea picked up his pace. When he reached her, he took her by the arm and pulled her into a nearby supply closet.  
“What are you doing?” she asked, feeling for a light switch on the wall but finding nothing.  
“We need to talk.” Sweet Pea said bluntly “What the hell is going on between us? What happened to you joining the serpents?”  
“I still am, Sweet Pea,” She replied “It’s just… Life’s gotten in the way. I just found my long lost brother recently. Everything’s been turned upside down, my family is completely dysfunctional and I just need some time to deal with them. I am still joining the serpents. Nothing could stop me.”   
“Yeah, you’re not a quitter.” he smirked but his smile faltered quickly.  
And us?” Sweet Pea asked “What about us, Betty?”  
Betty lowered her eyes “I don’t know what we are, Sweet Pea. I don’t know where we’re going.”  
She looked back up at him, studying his face in the dark “I just know, that I like you. And I like being with you. Very much.”   
“Ah, that explains why you’ve been avoiding me so much lately then.” Sweet Pea said sarcastically.   
“Me ignoring you?” Betty responded huffily “You barely even acknowledge my existence in school. I say hi to you and you don’t respond. You’ve even stopped texting me. I thought the reason you pulled me in here was to tell me we were done.”  
“Shit, sorry, didn’t mean to make you think that.” He mumbled “But I told you I wanted to know you better, Betty, I meant it.”   
Betty visibly sighed with relief and Sweet Pea felt guilty for having made her feel insecure, even unintentionally.  
“Do you believe me?” he asked her and pushed a stray hair behind her ear.  
She smiled with a flustered but content look on her face “Yeah.”   
He couldn’t help it, the twinkle in her eyes made him crazy, as did the blush in her cheeks and small curl of her lips in a miniscule smirk   
He walked forwards until she was backed up against a shelving unit and then he placed his hands on her waist. He leaned forward until his lips were hovering above hers and he heard a sharp intake of her breath.  
“I seem to remember last time we were in this situation, we were interrupted.”   
“Let’s hope we’re not this time.” Betty replied huskily, eyeing his mouth “Now kiss me.”  
Sweet Pea grinned “Gladly.”   
His lips met hers and Betty ran her fingers over Sweet Pea’s abdomen. His hands moved from her waist and under her ass, he hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his torso, the sudden movement knocking a few cleaning supplies down from the shelves. Sweet Pea stopped kissing her in order to nibble at her earlobe while she moaned quietly. He nuzzled against her neck, biting gently into the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder.  
“Just so you know,” Betty said breathily “I’m not having sex in a janitor’s closet.”  
“But that’s the best place to have it,” Sweet Pea chuckled quietly against her skin.  
“Ha Ha.” Betty said dryly “I have vixen’s practice in twenty. Let’s make the most of the time we have.” She nipped at his bottom lip when he pulled his head back to look at her.  
“You got it, Cooper.” He brushed off various tools from the shelf behind them and placed Betty down on it.  
Sweet Pea unbuttoned her jeans and slowly undid the zipper, all while watching Betty’s chest heave up and down with anticipation. Lowering himself to his knees, he pressed soft kisses against Betty’s jean-clad thighs. Pulling her jeans and panties down slightly, he paused and told Betty “I’ve been wanting to do this since I first saw you up on that stage.”  
“What are you waiting for? Oh-!” She cried out as Sweet Pea used his tongue and fingers to slowly drive her crazy. Time ceased to matter, let alone Betty’s cheerleading practice. She could hardly remember her own name, the only thing that mattered to her in that moment was Sweet Pea and his skilful lips, tongue and fingers. Betty threaded his jet black hair through her finger and clutched tightly until her climax neared. Only then did she remove hand, but only to cover her mouth so she didn’t call out his name and expose them to anyone who might have been in the outside corridor. Nothing and no one had ever made Betty feel this way, ripples of ecstasy running through her body, making her feel high. She let out one final moan and went limp against the wall behind her.  
Sweet Pea stood up, his hair endearingly sticking out in all directions and smiled at the sight of a disheveled Betty, proud to have been the one to make her look like that.  
“Come here, you.” she ordered and used Sweet Peas shirt to drag him into a crushing kiss.   
Her hand moved down, to brush at Sweet Pea’s crotch, he shuddered but stepped back.  
“No?” Betty raised an eyebrow.  
“No,” Sweet Pea smiled wistfully “You’ll be late for vixens practice.”  
Betty’s eyes became hooded as she leaned forwards, slowly undid his zipper and pressed a soft kiss on his jaw “I can always skip, or be late or whatever. No sex though, just… returning the favor.”  
“Holy cr-” He breathed out but stopped her hands “Betty-, you’re driving me crazy, and as much as I really, really want to do this, now isn’t the right time.”  
“Okay,” She said quietly, removed her hands and pulled her panties and jeans back up.   
“Hey,” Sweet Pea pulled her chin up to look at him and kissed her “Friday? The movies? You wanna go? I can pick you up at seven;. Alice doesn’t have to know.”  
He paused “Yeah, definitely don’t tell her, I’m kind of terrified of your mom and I have the feeling she would castrate me if she found out. ”  
Betty laughed and placed a light kiss on his cheek “I thought you’d never ask. Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret.”   
Then she was up and out of the closet, leaving Sweet Pea wondering what he had done to deserve the wicked angel that was Betty Cooper. Also, how he was going to go home without anyone seeing the awkward situation in his jeans. But it was worth it, knowing he had just gotten himself a date with her on Friday night.


	6. The calm before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of 2x12, with canon divergence. One obstacle has been overcome, another is arising. Sweet B is in for it in the coming chapters, will they stick it out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,  
> I just wanted to say a few things before this chapter:  
> 1\. Thank you all so much for all of your incredible support, your comments make me smile and inspire me to continue writing! Love to you all!  
> 2\. This chapter's a bit choppy and published late, the next will be better (hopefully, lol) but it won't follow the main plotline so much anymore. Not that it already did...  
> 3\. I am so happy that Bughead is back together!!! 2x12 was amazing! I have yet to watch 2x13.  
> 4\. Jughead, you smol bean, I'm so sorry I'm putting you through all this sorrow in the coming chapters. I love  
> Bughead, but on the other hand... Sweet B.  
> 5\. What the hell went down in the 2x14 promo?! Ronnie... Jug... what do you think you're doing?

Betty Cooper had gotten herself into a mess. She was repeatedly lying to her best friend and ex-boyfriend, Jughead Jones.  
It had started in the office of the Blue and Gold, where Betty just couldn’t keep her mouth shut and blurted out all her concerns about Jughead and Toni. She couldn’t help herself, she would be lying, not only to everyone else but also herself, if she said she didn’t have a small remainder of feelings left for him. But everytime she closed her eyes and fantasize about kissing him, his face always morphed into that of another serpent. Sweet Pea.  
Betty lied to Jughead when he asked her if she had been with anyone other than him since the breakup. She looked away and hoped he couldn’t see the slight blush she had growing on her cheeks, blush caused by her reminiscing the things Sweet Pea and she had done together. How his fingers, calloused and scarred, were oh-so-gentle, when he traced her curves. How she could unravel him with a few gentle kisses on his neck. How he drove her crazy by hitting that one spot behind her ear with his lips. They had met up to fool around almost everyday since their date on Friday. She felt guilty, though she didn’t know why; Jughead was the one who ended things between them, what was she supposed to do, other than move on?  
Betty avoided both Sweet Pea and Jughead for the rest of the day.  
Jughead had called Betty later and asked for her help. They had teamed up, the old dynamic duo back together to solve another mystery; the missing head of General Picken’s. Through their endeavours and at Veronica’s post-confirmation party, Betty learned that Jughead was feeling remorseful about their breakup, he had cut a woman (a woman who had blackmailed him into delivering drugs) and he felt isolated. He felt isolated from his school, from his gang and even from his father.  
Betty didn’t know how to go about solving the problem that was comforting Jughead Jones, when her phone rang. They went to the metal dump. The local scrapyard man had discovered picken’s head, dumped in his yard by none other than Tall Boy.  
When they had discovered that, Jughead grabbed her hand and off to the Whyte Wyrm it was. 

 

Sweet Pea’s heart was a jungle beat in his chest. Toni stood in front of him, and next to her was the golden haired force of nature which was Betty Cooper. She had arrived with Jughead Jones minutes ago, all guns blazing, accusing Tall Boy of having cut off General Picken’s head. To be honest, Sweet Pea wouldn’t have been surprised if it was Tall Boy who cut off the statue’s head, like Jones said earlier, Tall Boy wouldn’t have even needed a ladder.  
“This is Southside Business,” Tall Boy growled during his interrogation “This is Serpent land. Why is the Northsider present?”  
“She’s here because she’s one of us.” Jughead replied without hesitation.  
Sweet Pea’s heart stopped. She had done it. Betty Cooper had officially gotten recognition for being a serpent. The very son of their leader had just claimed her as one of their own. There was nothing in her way of getting a tat and jacket anymore.  
In the end, she didn’t even need him. Sweet Pea swore that from the corner of his eye, he saw Betty Cooper stick her tongue out at Tall Boy.  
The verdict was that Tall Boy was going to be stripped of his jacket and exiled. As FP hauled him outside, half the serpents followed, cursing and cheering. The other half went to celebrate at the bar. Jughead went with the crowd, Toni went to man the bar and Sweet Pea and Betty stood in front of each other.  
“You did it.” Sweet Pea laughed “You’ve been officially recognised as one of us.”  
Betty grinned “I know. I can’t actually believe it. It doesn’t seem real.”  
Sweet Pea stepped closer “When do you want to get your tat?”  
“Soon,” Betty replied “Will you do it for me?”  
“Sure.” His eyes swept over her lithe form, wondering where she would choose to have her tattoo.  
“I need to talk to Jug.” She told Sweet Pea “He seemed really opposed to me joining the Serpents so I’m curious to see what made him change his mind.”  
Sweet Pea frowned slightly, uncomfortable at the prospect having them alone time together. He had seen the way Jug had been looking at Betty throughout the night. It was like she had hung the moon and sun in the sky. He had his theories about why Jughead had suddenly changed his mind. But he didn’t want to be the impulsive, controlling boyfriend and forbid her to talk to her ex. He didn’t even know if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.  
Sweet Pea sighed “Okay. But I need to talk to you afterwards as well.”  
It was time for them to talk tattoos, jacket measurements, feelings and labels.  
Betty smiled and brushed his hand with her own, the touch full of promise, though seemingly innocent to any bystanders watching.  
He watched as she walked outside, her hips sashaying with a newfound confidence. 

Sweet Pea sat down on a bar stool and hailed Toni, who stepped in front of him, crossed her arms and raised a single eyebrow. She had her lips pressed firmly against each other, her face that of a scolding mother. Worry gre in Sweet Pea’s gut.  
“What?” he asked, when she didn’t speak.  
“Tell me you’re not banging her.” She replied exasperatedly “God, what is it with that girl and broody gang members? I swear-”  
Sweet Pea leaned over the bar and yanked on Toni’s arm “Jeez, can you lower it, Topaz? The entire bar doesn’t have to know!”  
“Ow!” she yanked her arm free “Watch your hands, asswipe!”  
She rammed her elbow down on his other hand, which was laying flat against the bar top.  
Sweet Pea yelped but didn’t retaliate.  
“I suppose I deserve that.” he winced, wringing his sore hand.  
“Yeah, you did.” Toni huffed, blowing a strand of pink hair out of her face “Sweet Pea, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Macking on Jones’s ex, whom he is clearly not over?”  
“It’s not like that, Toni,” He rebutted “I wouldn’t lie to you. Betty and I… we just click, somehow. It makes absolutely no sense, I know-”  
“You’re telling me?” Toni snorted.  
“Don’t interrupt, T- It makes no sense, but we fit together and I like how I am when I am with her. I want to see where we’re going.”  
“Well, with all the Shakespearean love shit aside, Jughead is still going to be royally pissed when he finds out. Why did you have to pick her, Sweets? You hate the northsiders and out of all the females in Riverdale, you chose the northside ex of our gang leader’s son?”  
“I never meant for this to happen,” Sweet Pea mumbled “At first I was just appreciating, well you know, the view. ‘Specially after she did the dance.”  
“You mean the misogynistic-shitty-piss-poor initiation ritual that all girls have to perform?”  
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes “You enjoy it as much as the next dude, Topaz.”  
“Watching? Yes. Performing? No. I’m going to get the damned thing abolished someday.”  
“I believe you.” he said in a serious tone “When it comes to Betty, there’s so much more to her than just her appearance, beautiful as it is. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s determined... no, scrap that, she’s got a backbone of steel. I think it’s… I want it to be serious between us. We haven’t… ya know?”  
“You mean you haven’t fucked?”  
“Yeah, well, not so eloquently put, but yes.” he said sarcastically.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did my language offend you?” Toni mock apologised “I’m cake compared to what Jones’ is gonna be like when he finds out. You stupid idiot…”  
“Thanks a bunch for the support and encouragement, Topaz. Jeez, some friend you are.” Sweet Pea said tiredly “Thought you might be happy about this. Might give you and Jug a chance to be an item.”  
He smiled when Toni wrinkled her nose “Fuck no. Been there, done that. I prefer playing for the other team nowadays, Sweets.”  
“Yeah, I know Toni. Somehow, I’ve always known.”  
“And you didn’t tell me?!”  
Sweet Pea laughed, glad that there was no animosity between them. 

Jughead Jones walked back into the Wyrm, sitting down onto the bar-stool next to Sweet Pea.  
“The usual, Toni.” He ordered “Thanks.”  
“Hey man, where’d Betty go?” Sweet Pea asked.  
“Her mom called, said she had to go home. Help out with some chores.” He replied.  
“On a party night? That’s just sad.” Toni interjected, throwing a glance at Sweet Pea, who ignored her.  
Sweet Pea nodded and kept his features neutral. Why did she leave without saying goodbye?  
“Jones, you really didn’t want blondie in with the Serpents before. What changed your mind?” He asked, striving to come across as nonchalant.  
“Betty wasn’t gonna give up ‘till she got in anyways. And she did go through initiation.” Jughead dragged a hand down his face and smiled “But truth be told, I miss her. I always knew she could handle it but I just wanted to protect her from it, you know, so she didn’t have to handle it. I know better now.”  
He looked at Sweet Pea and added “And because of something you said. She’s going to be good for us. I know she will be.”  
Sweet Pea nodded and proceeded to chug the rest of his beer. Afterwards, he swallowed and set the empty bottle back on the table. When Toni came over to collect it, he raised an eyebrow in a silent question to her, tilting his head towards Jones. You won’t tell him before I do? She nodded and tossed the bottle in the glass bin. Sweet Pea patted Jughead on the back, left the bar and began to walk home.  
One obstacle had been overcome, yet another had arisen. How the fuck were Betty and him gonna break the news that they were dating to Jug?

Later that night, Sweet Pea stared at his phone screen in bed. He had texted Betty three times and she hadn’t responded.  
SP (23:24): Hey, why’d u leave without saying goodbye? I wanted to talk to u. Txt me when u can.  
SP (23:47): U okay, Cooper?  
SP (23:53): ...Betty?  
Little did he know, that at that moment in time, Betty Cooper was busy helping her mother hide a dead body.


	7. Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty deals with the aftermath of hiding a body, Sweet Pea gets round to asking a question he's been wanting to ask for a long time.

Betty’s mind felt fuzzy, hazy, as if she were not sure if she were dreaming or not. Last night? Had it been real. Had she truly helped her mother hide the dead body of a drug dealer? The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins was depleted and Betty wanted nothing more other than to sleep, but she had to maintain the façade or someone would notice. And if they noticed, they could begin to suspect, and if they suspected, they could investigate. If they investigated; they would find out. And the last thing Betty wanted was to be exposed.   
Her mother was acting completely normal, only adding to Betty’s doubt if the previous night had actually happened.   
School was nerve wracking, Betty felt as if there was a sign above her head, flashing neon lights with text saying “MURDERER.” 

She didn’t make it to the end of the day. She ran over to the register and insisted Alice do something to dispose of the evidence or she would go to the sheriff.   
Alice begrudgingly gave in and asked FP for help.  
Later that night, at Pop’s, FP, Alice and Betty sat at a booth; FP reeking of chemical solution.  
“It’s done,” FP had said “There’ll be nothing left of him within a week. Not even his teeth.”   
Alice began to cry and apologised for dragging FP into things. FP assured her they took care of their own, he shot Betty a glance when he said that and clasped Alice’s hand.   
They sat in silence for another half an hour.   
When they got up to leave, Betty asked a favor of FP “Don’t ever let Jughead find out.”   
He nodded and responded “You can pick up your jacket tomorrow if you want. By the way, Betty, the sooner you let Alice know, the better.”   
She laughed a little “Trust me, I know. I’ll let her know as soon as I’ve gotten the tattoo.”   
That night, Betty slept like a baby. She knew she wouldn't be getting a full nights sleep for a long time. 

 

In the morning, Betty faked a temperature, convincing Alice to let her stay home. She didn’t want to go to school today, she had plans.   
After Alice had left and Chic had gone out to meet with a client, Betty texted Sweet Pea.  
B (06:44): Sorry…   
Sweet Pea called 30 seconds later.  
“So she lives.” Sweet Pea said sarcastically.   
“Sweet Pea. I have no words to tell you how sorry I am for leaving without saying goodbye. I just… shit hit the fan in the Cooper residence and I had to go deal with it.”  
“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked carefully.   
Betty was torn, she desperately wanted someone to tell, so she could get it off her chest before the guilt and worry came back as she knew it would. But FP had instructed her and her mother to not tell anyone else. And strategically, the less people who knew, the better.  
But this was Sweet Pea. Funny, gentle, wild, smart, caring Sweet Pea. He deserved to know.   
“Not on the phone. I’m skipping school today, and I was thinking we could talk and maybe get my tat done? FP said I have a jacket waiting for me at the Wyrm.”  
“Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you at the Wyrm in 45.” Sweet Pea responded.  
They hung up and Betty couldn’t help but feel nervous. She was, after all, joining a gang. Don’t think of them as a gang, she told herself, think more along the lines of… surrogate family. They can help you face your darkness. 

Betty walked into the bathroom and started to clean her teeth. After spitting into the sink she glanced at her reflection and promptly gasped, dropping her toothbrush.   
A woman in a black mask was staring back at her. The woman's eyes were green and knowing and she had a intimidating smile on her face.   
It took Betty a while to realise that she was the woman in the mask.   
Dark Betty. Whom she had tried so hard to quash, to lock in the back of her mind, never to be released again.   
“No,” She breathed, unable to break eye contact with her darkness.   
“Yes.” She replied.  
“You’re not real.” Betty replied.  
“Oh, believe me, I am.” She cocked her head “You know you can’t get rid of me.”  
“I can,” She spat out “I will-I’ll find a way.”  
“You think you can actually dispose of me?” The darkness sneered “You disassociate yourself with me, pretend that we are two separate entities.”  
She laughed, a beautiful pearly laugh and continued on her rant, a malicious glint in her exposed eyes “I’m a part of you. I’m inside you. I am you.”  
“You can’t live without me, much like you wouldn’t be able to survive if you ripped your beating heart out of your chest.”   
“No. No! No-no-no-no-nononononononono-” Betty denied desperately.  
“I don’t understand why you hate me.” The darkness talked over Betty’s pathetic mantra “I’ve been present your entire life, I’ve saved us more times than you can count, from things you couldn't dream of. I am the reason we are still here! Left to fend for yourself, you would have broken long ago.”  
“Then why do I hate you?! Why do I hate letting you in?! Why do you take things too far? Every single time you come out you mess things up for me!”  
Betty screamed at her reflection, tears welling up in her eyes.  
“You don’t takes things far enough, you timid bitch! God, if you were left to your own devices you would have imploded, I saved us! You need me! Why don’t you understand?!”  
The darkness shouted back, reaching through the mirror and grabbing Betty’s arm.   
“NO!” Betty screamed and punched the mirror, the glass cracking and splintering under the force. As the shards fell into the sink, the darkness faded away.  
Betty sat on the closed lid of the toilet for a while, her chest heaving with manic sobs, attempting to catch her breath. She finally calmed down, what seemed like an eternity later.   
She threw on some clothes, a jacket and her shoes and left to go meet Sweet Pea. She was not going to let the darkness rile her up and make her cancel her plans. The darkness wouldn’t win, she wouldn’t let it. 

Sweet Pea was idling on a bar stool, waiting for Betty to arrive. The door swung open and shut and there she was. She smiled widely when she saw Sweet Pea.   
Sweet Pea couldn’t help the grin from forming on his lips. She was a sight for sore eyes.   
“Hey, you,” He wrapped an arm around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips.   
She kissed him back and giggled when his lips brushed her neck and tickled her.  
“I missed you.” Betty confessed, realising she had actually missed the comforting presence of the messy haired giant next to her.   
“I missed you too. Everything okay? You didn’t respond to my texts and you’re skipping school, which is a very un-Betty-Cooper liked thing to do.”   
Betty placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth, appreciative that he noticed such small things about her.   
“I have some things to tell you, but I was thinking… we could get the tattoo done before?”  
“Yeah sure, I also need to ask you some stuff but… yeah, we can do the tat now.” Sweet Pea bit his lip as he mentally listed all the materials he needed. 

Betty was sitting on the couch of the upstair “office”. Sweet Pea had gathered an odd ensemble of materials on the desk   
“This is a stick-and poke tattoo, it will hurt and it might take a few rounds of inking to get the emblem to be perfect.” he explained.  
Betty’s mind’s mind automatically went to all the negative consequences of getting a tattoo; What if she got a skin infection? What if Sweet Pea was a shit tattoo artist and messed it up? Tattoos are permanent, after all-  
Betty shut her train of thought down, uncomfortable about how much like Alice Cooper she sounded. She needed to allow herself to trust Sweet Pea.   
“Do you know where you want the tat?” Sweet Pea asked as he wrapped a piece of thread around the tip of a needle which had been taped to the end of a pen.   
He had removed his jacket and was sitting at the desk, elbows leaning against the desk as he carried out his task of making a makeshift tattoo-needle. He wore only a black t-shirt, which was deliciously tight against his chest and shoulders. Betty almost salivated at the sight, a heat growing in her chest and abdomen. Sweet Pea’s fingers were delicately tying the knot on the string and Betty were fixated on them. Those fingers could bruise and split skin, they could tie delicate and intricate knots and they could unravel her completely.   
“Betty?” Sweet Pea asked again.  
“Hmm?” She replied, snapping out of her haze.  
“I said do you know where you want the tat?”  
A wicked smile grew on her face as she stood up and oh-so-slowly stripped off her sweater.  
Sweet Pea’s attention was dragged away from his task at hand and he was staring at Betty.  
“I was thinking you could help me choose a suitable place to get my tattoo,” Betty spoke softly yet provocatively “What do you think? Where should it go?”  
She traced an invisible serpent shape on the left side of her rib.   
Abandoning the desk, Sweet Pea slowly walked over to Betty and cupped her face in his hands. He brushed his lips against hers before kneeling down and kissing a butterfly kiss against her ribcage.  
“It could go here,” He whispered.  
He moved to her side and kissed her hip “It could go here, maybe,”  
He stood back up “Or it could even go,” he leaned down and placed his lips against her heart “right here.”  
Betty pulled his face back up to hers. She needed Sweet Pea like she needed air. She needed his lips against hers, she needed his hands skimming up and down her sides, making her feel like a goddess. 

Sweet Pea never wanted to stop kissing Betty Cooper. He never wanted to stop hearing the soft little moans and gasps she made when he touched her or slipped his tongue into her mouth. He had never wanted anything so desperately before; he had never needed anything so desperately before.   
Still, before they started misbehaving, they needed to talk and get Betty’s tattoo done.  
Sweet Pea broke their kiss “I should transfer the logo onto your skin. So that I don’t have to freestyle the bloody thing.”  
Betty sighed and smiled.  
She chose for the tattoo to go on her hip, low enough that it could be seen when she was in her underwear or wearing a bikini. Sweet Pea began the process, leaning over Betty’s torso as she lay on the couch. He pierced Betty’s skin with the tip of his ink-soaked needle, his forehead creasing when she hissed at the pain.   
“It’s fine,” She said through gritted teeth “I’ll get used to it, keep going.”  
“Okay,” Sweet Pea returned to the task at hand.  
“Sweet Pea…” Betty asked, looking at the ceiling “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”  
“I don’t know,” He said after a while “I’ve done quite a few questionable things in the name of the serpents.”  
“Like?”  
“Beating people up, stealing shit, a few weed deals.”  
“Why did you do it?”  
“Some of it was because of sheer stupidity, some because I was drunk, some because the serpents needed cash or defending from a rival gang. I would do anything for my family.”  
“Okay.” Betty said.   
“Betts, where are you going with this?” Sweet Pea glanced at Betty.  
“I did something I’m not proud of,” she stilled his hands “Put the needle down for a second, I don’t want you to stab me out of shock.”  
He scoffed “Okay, what is it that is so shocking that you’re afraid that I’ll accidentally stab you.”  
“My brother Chic, I’ve told you about him,” Betty started slowly “Someone came to see him, a client or something. And his clients aren’t exactly the best people so this guy, for no apparent reason, attacked my mom and Chic hit him over the head to stop him. It killed him.”  
Sweet Pea was looking at Betty intently, waiting for her to finish.  
“I helped my mom hide the body and clean up any… evidence. I got jumpy and convinced my mom to ask FP to help us dissolve the body in some weird chemical soup. He didn’t want us to tell anyone but, I can’t keep it in. And I don’t want to hide it. Not from you.”  
Sweet Pea didn’t respond. He waited a while, to make sure her monologue was finished, and then wrapped his arms around her.   
“How do you feel about the whole situation?” He spoke into her silky hair.  
“I don’t know,” She replied, resting her cheek on his chest “Guilty. A man lost his life. But, I don’t want my mom to go to prison so if I had to, I would do it again.”  
“And Chic?”  
“I didn’t do it for him.” Betty said bluntly “I felt bad for him at first but now I’m starting to doubt.”  
She looked up at Sweet Pea “What about you? What do you think?”  
“Are you worrying about me?” He quirked an eyebrow “Nevermind me, Betty. Believe it or not this isn’t my first time hearing about a body dump. Joaquin and I used to be pals, he let slip about Jason one night when he was hammered.”  
“And you didn’t report it?!”  
“What? Joaquin didn’t murder him, it would have just gotten him and FP into undeserved trouble.”   
“That’s true,” Betty conceded.  
Sweet Pea faux gasped “What?! Betty Cooper, admitting she was wrong?! What has the world come to?!”  
“I didn’t admit I was wrong! I just-” Betty stopped when she saw the grin on his face “Ah! Screw you!”  
“I’d much rather screw you,” His grin grew, gleeful at the wit of his comeback.  
“Shut up and finish my tattoo,” Betty blushed and ordered, attempting, and failing, to regain her composure.   
Later, as Sweet Pea finished the tattoo, Betty realised he had purposefully distracted her. It brought a smile to her face. Clever boy. 

While cleaning up his supplies, allowing Betty to slip her shirt on, he cleared his throat and gathered the bravery to ask Betty the question he had been wanting to ask her for the entirety of two days.   
“What is it, Sweets?” Betty asked “You seem nervous.”  
Sweet Pea sighed and turned to face her “It’s nothing compared to what we talked about before but it’s a big deal to me.”  
Betty walked over to him and took his hand in hers “What is it? Can I help?”  
He closed his eyes and willed himself to ask her. All the negative outcomes running through his head like a broken record player; what if she rejected him? What if she laughed at him? What if, what if, what if.   
“Betty, do you want to be my girlfriend?” He blurted out, anxiously observing her reaction.  
Betty raised her eyebrows and a tinsy smile played on her lips “Is that what you were nervous about? Seriously?”  
His heart fell to his stomach and he took a step back “Well, yeah, but if you don’t want to be with me like that, then it’s totally okay, I guess but I don’t know-”  
She silence his babbling speech with a kiss.  
When she pulled back, she was smiling “I thought I already was your girlfriend, that’s all, Sweet Pea. Of course I want to be with you!”   
He was stunned for a moment “For real?”  
“Yes for real!” She laughed and hugged him “I just can’t believe you still want to be with me after I just revealed I aided and abetted the cover up of manslaughter.”  
“Nothing could ever make me not want to be with you, Betty.” He murmured gruffly against her forehead.   
“Just like nothing could ever make me not want to be with you.”   
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to ask you that,” Sweet Pea admitted.   
“You shouldn’t have waited, my answer would have always been yes!”  
“Would you wear my jacket? Just for a second? I want to see you in it,” He chuckled “Kind of like the southside version of a football jersey.”  
Betty grinned and slipped his jacket on “I remember you letting me wear this when I came to the wyrm without a jacket of my own.”  
“Yeah, and since then I’ve been wanting to see you back in it. You look hella hot.”  
“My, my. Such an eloquent compliment.”  
“I’m not very talented with words, but I can show you how good I am with my tongue, if you like.”  
“Yes, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to apologise for taking sooo loooonngg to post this chapter. Life has gotten in the way, applying for different schools, studying for exams, etc. Hopefully I won't take this long in the future. Btw, this chapter is unedited and unbetad (though the rest of the chapters aren't betad either) so please forgive any mistakes or typos.  
> Second of all, I'd like to thank you all for your lovely comments and support! It's what inspires me to keep writing and publishing. Love to you all and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! <3 <3 <3
> 
> Author's notes:  
> When it comes to Betty confronting her darkness, it may not make much sense and be confusing or unclear. This is because even to Betty, she is confused and frightened, she doesn't fully understand what the darkness is, what it wants and how to beat it. Therefore, the parts regarding her darkness may seem odd, but that is precisely the point.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress, I'm trying to find my style. somethings may be cringe af. Comments, tips and feedback is welcome! Enjoyyyyy.


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